Champagne vintages 1988-2013

Posted by Jason Kallsen on December 27, 2013 in Champagne, | no comments

Vintage Champagne is a rarity, only about 10% of the total production of the region. On average the producers will declare about three out of every ten years. The producers themselves declare the vintage for the house, there is no "regional announcement" or vintage decree. This means that even on
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The Little Itty-Bitty Secret Champagne Codes

Posted by Jason Kallsen on December 26, 2013 in Champagne, | no comments

On every bottle of champagne is a secret code, often in a font smaller than you thought possible. Take out your magnifying glass, for you’re about to learn a neat trick. That code will start with two letters followed by a series of numbers. The numbers are simply a champagne
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Grower Champagne producer profiles

Posted by Jason Kallsen on December 19, 2013 in Champagne, France, Sparkling wine | one comment

Many of you have asked for a cheat sheet of sorts regarding our list of Grower-Producer Champagnes. We are firm believers that the more you know about where your wine comes from, the more you'll enjoy it. (In that light be sure to also check out our posts on Sparkling
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Grower Champagne: Families, Farming, and the Future

Posted by Jason Kallsen on November 25, 2013 in Champagne, Events, Sparkling wine | no comments

We are getting incredibly excited about the upcoming Grower Champagne Extravaganza, coming on January 25th, 2014. To help spread the word, here is a personal invite from Larry Colbeck, founder and owner of The Wine Company. This is quickly shaping up to be the greatest Champagne tasting ever held in the
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Announcing The Wine Company’s Grower Champagne extravaganza on Saturday January 25th, 2014

Posted by Jason Kallsen on October 25, 2013 in Champagne, Events, | 7 comments

THE WINE COMPANY PRESENTS THE GROWER CHAMPAGNE EXTRAVAGANZA! Saturday January 25th, 2014 1:00 pm - 4:00pm Ready to join The Wine Company for an afternoon you'll never forget? On Saturday afternoon, January 25th 2014, we are popping a huge amount of the best Champagnes you can imagine, and we are inviting YOU! Why? To thank
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Celebrating National Potato Chip Day with grower Champagne (and lots of videos)

Posted by Jason Kallsen on March 14, 2013 in Champagne, Food and wine pairing, Holidays, Sparkling wine | one comment

We love our chips. We keep our cupboards fully stocked at all times at The Wine Company. Classic, kettle, sea salt, salt & black pepper, dill, onion, hot buffalo wings, french onion, onion and garlic, cheddar and sour cream, mesquite, and more. After we return from Europe we get the delicious
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Champagne and Potato Chips, the perfect match

Posted by Jason Kallsen on March 13, 2013 in Champagne, Food and wine pairing, | one comment

There are as many opinions about food and wine pairing as there are wines and people to drink them. Honing pairings to a perfect art is desired by some, especially at the top end of the culinary world. Anybody who has swooned over an incredible risotto with shaved truffles paired
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Talking Grower Champagne at WCCO

Posted by Jason Kallsen on December 27, 2012 in Champagne | no comments

We have been invited to the studios of WCCO Television to discuss the world of Grower Champagnes with their superstar reporter Jason DeRusha. We will be talking about three wines in particular to profile different parts of the Grower Champagne movement. This segment will air Saturday morning, December 29th, during the 8:00
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The BEST Stemware for Champagne might surprise you

Posted by Jason Kallsen on December 26, 2012 in Champagne, Stemware | one comment

It's the final week of the year, which marks the peak of Champagne season. While we believe Champagne is one of the best food wines around, and should be consumed far more often than just special occasions, there is no doubt it is still the drink of celebration first and
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Sparkling Wine: the top 5 things you need to know

Posted by Jason Kallsen on December 11, 2012 in Champagne, France, Holidays, Sparkling wine | 2 comments

As we enter the home stretch of the holiday season more and more sparkling wine will be purchased and consumed. To get the most out of your bottles, we present the top 5 things you need to know (to enjoy your sparkling wine more than everybody else). 1. Don't open a
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